Foreign central bank US debt holdings rose-Fed

NEW YORK, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Foreign central banks’ holdings of U.S. Treasuries and agency debt at the Federal Reserve rose in the latest week, data from the U.S. central bank showed on Thursday.

The combined holdings of Treasuries and agency securities by foreign central banks at the Fed rose $4.91 billion to a total of $2.959 trillion in the week ended December 30.

Treasuries held by overseas central banks at the Fed rose $4.737 billion to total $2.190 trillion.

Foreign central banks’ holdings of securities issued or guaranteed by the two biggest U.S. mortgage financing agencies, Fannie Mae FNM.P and Freddie Mac FRE.P, rose by $172 million to $769.61 billion in the latest week.

Overseas central banks, particularly in Asia, have been huge buyers of U.S. debt in recent years and own more than a quarter of marketable Treasuries. China recently overtook Japan as the biggest such buyer.

The full Fed report can be found on: here (Reporting by Chris Reese: Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)